Moscow · Russia

Moscow's central districts (within the Garden Ring and extending to MKAD) feature dense mixed-use neighborhoods with supermarkets, pharmacies, cafés, and shops within 10-15 minute walks. Continuous sidewalks, metro access, and pedestrian-friendly streets in core areas enable most daily errands on foot. However, outer residential zones and newer suburban developments are more car-dependent, preventing a score of 5. Long, harsh winters (−10°C average January) and snow coverage reduce walking comfort seasonally but do not eliminate walkability as a viable daily lifestyle.

Expats can live fully car-free across Moscow's vast metro area thanks to the extensive metro, bus, tram, and commuter rail network covering nearly all neighborhoods within walking distance, with trains every 2-5 minutes daytime and service until 1-2 AM. High reliability, integrated Troika card ticketing, and English apps make daily commutes, errands, and nightlife accessible without a car, enabling a seamless urban lifestyle. Outer suburbs connect efficiently via rail, minimizing any car dependency for long-term residents.

Moscow experiences severe traffic congestion with average commute times exceeding 60 minutes during peak hours, often reaching 90+ minutes in many districts. The city's sprawling geography, limited parking availability in central areas (with high costs when available), and inconsistent traffic flow create significant daily friction for car-dependent residents, making routine errands and commutes unpredictably time-consuming.

Motorbikes and scooters are legal and seen in Moscow but are not a mainstream daily mode; winters with regular snow and icy conditions (roughly November–March, ~4–5 months) limit year‑round use. Rental options exist but are limited for foreigners and licensing paperwork (short‑term international permits vs. local conversion for longer stays) and heavy city traffic reduce practicality for relying on a scooter as a primary mode.

Moscow has developed some cycling infrastructure in recent years, with bike lanes appearing in central districts and along the Moscow River embankment, but the network remains fragmented and disconnected. Coverage is concentrated in the city center with significant gaps in outer neighborhoods, and cycling safety remains a concern due to traffic speeds and incomplete intersection treatments. For a relocating expat, cycling is possible in limited areas but impractical as a citywide daily transport mode.

Moscow is served by three major international airports: Sheremetyevo (SVO), Domodedovo (DME), and Vnukovo (VNO). Typical drive time from central Moscow to the closest airport (Vnukovo) is 40-50 minutes under normal weekday traffic; however, Moscow traffic is notoriously congested and unpredictable, with drives occasionally extending beyond 60 minutes during peak periods. For a long-term resident planning regular international travel, the airport access is manageable but requires advance planning and accounts for traffic variability.

As a long-term expat in Moscow, direct flights to over 100 international destinations across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East with daily frequencies on major routes enable convenient visits to family in nearby countries or business trips to key hubs without layovers. Multiple airlines offer competition on popular routes, reducing costs and improving reliability for frequent travel needs. This strong connectivity supports an active global lifestyle, though long-haul options to the Americas may still require connections.

Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo airports serve as major hubs for budget carriers including Wizz Air, which operates extensive Central and Eastern European routes, plus domestic low-cost options. The city provides consistent affordable travel across Europe and regional destinations, though international long-haul budget options remain limited compared to Western European hubs. For relocating expats, this enables frequent budget-friendly trips within Europe and Russia, though reaching distant regions typically requires connections or higher costs.

Expats in Moscow benefit from several well-regarded art museums like the Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Gallery, offering regular exhibitions of Russian and international art that enrich cultural weekends and social life. This scene supports a vibrant long-term lifestyle with frequent access to high-quality rotating shows, fostering intellectual engagement without needing international travel. The variety ensures ongoing discovery for art enthusiasts settling in the city.

Moscow hosts several nationally significant history museums including the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Art and extensive Soviet-era historical collections. The city offers strong preservation and interpretation programs focused on Russian imperial and Soviet history, providing long-term residents with deep access to understanding Russia's complex past, though it lacks the world-class diversity of institutions found in truly top-tier museum cities.

Moscow contains multiple internationally recognised heritage landmarks, including the Kremlin and Red Square complex and the Novodevichy Convent, plus dozens of well-preserved cathedrals, monasteries and historic squares across the central districts. These sites are actively maintained and protected as part of large historic ensembles that shape the city's identity, though the density and number of distinct UNESCO listings fall short of the very highest global examples.

Moscow hosts world-class performing arts institutions including the Bolshoi Theatre, one of the most prestigious opera and ballet venues globally, alongside multiple major theatres, symphony orchestras, and a robust international touring circuit. The city's theatre district rivals major Western capitals in scale and prestige, offering daily performances across classical ballet, opera, drama, and contemporary productions accessible to long-term residents.

Moscow is Russia's premier film hub with a well-established cinema culture, multiple major multiplexes and independent venues across the city, regular international film festivals including the Moscow International Film Festival, and strong original-language screening availability. The city's deep-rooted film industry infrastructure and recognition as a major European cinema center provide expats with abundant choices for both mainstream and art-house cinema experiences.

Moscow supports a strong live music ecosystem with numerous venues spanning multiple genres including rock, jazz, electronic, and classical across its districts. The city hosts regular programming with both touring international artists and an active local scene, allowing residents to access live performances multiple times weekly; however, it does not match the legendary status and constant year-round touring infrastructure of the world's top music cities.

Expats in Moscow enjoy frequent high-quality live music events multiple times per week across genres like rock, jazz, indie, and classical at stable venues such as the Crocus City Hall and Izvestia Hall, with regular touring international and Russian artists enhancing cultural immersion. Established annual festivals and predictable scheduling allow newcomers to easily integrate into a vibrant music scene, fostering social connections and entertainment options that enrich long-term quality of life. This density of events supports a dynamic lifestyle without long travel for diverse performances.

For an expat who enjoys regular outings, Moscow offers vibrant nightlife across central districts like Patriarch's Ponds and Tverskaya, with diverse bars, clubs, and live music venues active most nights, many staying open past 2am for a satisfying social rhythm. Safety in popular areas is generally manageable for cautious residents, enabling weekly bar-hopping without major disruptions to long-term social life. This density supports building local networks through repeated visits to neighborhood spots, though winter weather can limit outdoor late-night movement.

Expats in central and upscale neighborhoods like Arbat or Tverskaya enjoy comfortable daytime walking and reasonable nighttime safety with basic precautions, though occasional pickpocketing in tourist crowds requires vigilance. Women report unease from verbal harassment in crowded areas but can navigate well-lit streets alone after dark without routine threats to physical safety. Daily life involves avoiding intoxicated groups late at night in outer districts, but core expat zones allow unrestricted exploration mirroring major Western cities.

Expats in Moscow's residential neighborhoods face recurring pickpocketing, phone snatching on crowded transit, and vehicle break-ins, requiring daily vigilance to protect belongings during commutes and errands. Bike and package theft occur frequently enough to necessitate secure storage, but home invasions and carjackings are not standard threats, allowing normal precautions without extensive security infrastructure. This noticeable risk shapes long-term living by demanding behavioral awareness in public spaces while permitting relaxed routines at home.

Residents face above-average road fatality risks around 8-10 per 100K, with inconsistent driving culture marked by speeding and poor compliance forcing newcomers to adapt crossing habits and avoid certain routes. Pedestrian infrastructure exists in central areas but gaps in suburbs and wide arterials heighten injury risks for walkers and cyclists during daily commutes. Long-term expats must exercise significant caution with all transport modes to mitigate daily threats to personal safety.

Moscow is on the stable East European craton with a negligible history of meaningful seismicity and very rare, minor felt events only in exceptional cases. Earthquake exposure is not a relocation consideration and existing construction does not need seismic-specific design for daily resilience.

Moscow and its surrounding oblast experience seasonal peat- and forest-fire activity in dry summers that periodically produces widespread smoke and air-quality advisories across the city. Direct threat to built-up neighbourhoods is uncommon and large-scale evacuations in the city are rare, but newcomers should expect occasional summer smoke events and follow seasonal preparedness guidance.

Moscow sits on the Moskva River with an extensive network of embankments, upstream reservoirs and urban drainage that keep major river flooding rare; severe city-wide inundation is not a normal occurrence. Localized basement or street flooding can occur during intense convective downpours, but impacts on daily life and transport are generally minimal and short-lived.

Moscow has the broadest and most diverse professional market in Russia with many large employers and a metro professional base well above 500k, and unemployment typically below the national average, but access for non-Russian speakers is constrained since many private-sector roles require Russian and several Western multinationals reduced local operations after 2022. There are regularly English-language professional openings across 10+ international or export-oriented companies, so a skilled foreigner with in-demand experience (and preferably Russian) can often secure a role within ~2–4 months; purely English-only candidates will face longer searches.

Moscow is Russia's dominant financial and corporate hub with a metro economy well above the global major-city threshold, hosting a concentrated central business district with large banks, a major exchange, and hundreds of national and international corporate headquarters. The economy is highly diversified and knowledge-intensive across finance, technology, professional services, media, and advanced industry, supported by a deep ecosystem of large professional services firms and specialized consultancies.

Moscow supports well over ten distinct major industries with deep professional employment — finance and banking, national government/public administration, professional/legal services, technology/IT, media and creative industries, higher education and research, healthcare/biotech, real estate/construction, logistics and transport, retail/consumer goods and energy/trading — none of which singly accounts for the majority of skilled employment. The combination of corporate headquarters, large public-sector employment, mature financial markets, major transport hubs and strong tech and creative clusters means a professional can change sectors multiple times without relocating.

Moscow has a deep, historically self-sustaining startup ecosystem with multiple confirmed unicorns and sizable homegrown scale-ups, a dense founder community, numerous active local VC firms and angel groups, and established accelerators and innovation clusters that regularly produce investable teams. Local universities and large engineering talent pools feed startups and, despite reduced inbound international capital since 2022, domestic and corporate VCs plus seed/accelerator channels make it realistic to build and finance companies through Series B locally.

Moscow still hosts dozens of multinational operations with substantial local teams (historically several dozen; currently best-estimate ~20–40 firms retaining sizeable offices and SSCs), but many global corporations have reduced or exited post-2022, so most remaining operations are branch offices, service centres or country units rather than multiple regional/EMEA/APAC headquarters. The result is a real but narrowed market for multinational professional roles compared with pre-2022 levels.

Moscow has well over 75 dedicated coworking locations spread across central business districts and suburbs, offering the full spectrum from budget hot‑desks to premium private offices and enterprise suites. High-capacity commercial internet (commonly 100+ Mbps), frequent community events, 24/7 access at many sites, meeting rooms, phone booths and mature local chains make the city a world-class market for long‑term remote professionals.

Moscow maintains a dense, year-round calendar of private‑sector professional events across finance, tech, media and government—multiple industry meetups and speaker series occur most weeks and large annual conferences and trade shows draw thousands and senior executives. Corporate HQs, major incubators/coworking spaces and active bilateral chambers run regular panels and investor pitch nights, so decision‑makers are frequently present. Accessibility to internationals is reduced compared with pre‑2022 levels and many events are Russian‑language, but sufficient English‑accessible programming remains for an international professional to build a network.

Moscow hosts over 700 higher education institutions, including globally recognized research universities such as Moscow State University, MISIS, and HSE, spanning all major academic fields from medicine and engineering to arts and humanities. The city's massive student population—exceeding 1.5 million enrolled across all institutions—profoundly shapes urban culture, and numerous institutions now offer English-taught degree programs and open lectures, creating a vibrant intellectual ecosystem that supports both academic pursuits and lifelong learning for international residents.

National-level restrictions and targeted blocks on a range of foreign social and communication platforms mean multiple core tools can be intermittently restricted; VPNs are commonly used but operate in a legally gray space and may be disrupted during enforcement actions. Developers and remote workers can usually access most cloud consoles and code hosting, but expect meaningful daily friction and occasional throttling that makes VPN use a frequent necessity.

A relocating food lover in Moscow enjoys good access to 15-20 major world cuisines like Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Georgian, spread across central neighborhoods, allowing weekly exploration without repetition. While authentic options exist for common types, rare cuisines like Ethiopian or Peruvian are scarce, limiting long-term excitement for global variety. This supports a satisfying but not exhaustive international dining lifestyle for expats.

A relocating food lover in Moscow enjoys a high-quality dining ecosystem with excellent options spanning affordable Georgian khachapuri stalls, casual Uzbek plov eateries, and acclaimed modern Russian venues using fresh seasonal ingredients across neighborhoods like Patriarch's Ponds and Arbat. The reliable floor of skilled preparation ensures most meals satisfy without research, while deep local traditions in dumplings and borscht provide daily variety and cultural immersion. Long-term, this supports a genuinely happy expat lifestyle centered on eating well authentically.

Expats in Moscow can enjoy solid brunch options at multiple reliable venues spread across central neighborhoods like Tverskaya and Patriarch's Ponds, offering Western-style dishes alongside Russian twists for weekend socializing. This availability supports a comfortable long-term lifestyle by providing consistent access to familiar comfort food without long searches. However, peak times may involve waits, reflecting moderate density rather than abundance.

Moscow has solid availability of vegan and vegetarian restaurants concentrated in central neighborhoods and business districts, with multiple dedicated venues offering diverse cuisines including Asian, Indian, and European plant-based options. However, coverage outside the city center is patchy, and reliability can vary; expats will find adequate options for regular dining but should not expect the density or consistency of major Western culinary hubs. The scene supports a plant-based lifestyle but requires some planning for neighborhood exploration.

Moscow has a robust multi-platform food delivery ecosystem with Yandex.Eats, 2GIS, and regional providers offering extensive restaurant coverage across all neighborhoods. The city provides reliable 30-40 minute delivery times, broad cuisine variety from independent restaurants to chains, and strong late-night availability, though occasional peak-hour delays and variable coverage in distant suburbs prevent a perfect score.